Voting-machine.



o; H. LEE. VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1901..

1,025,632. Patented May 7, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. H. LEE.

I VOTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1901.

Patented May 7, 1912.

'InShmas f 21 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARENCE H. LEE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO JAMES R. TOWNSEND, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

VOTING-MACHINE.

Application filed June 20, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE H. LEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Voting-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a voting machine by means of which each voter can readily, conveniently, accurately and secretly adjust the machine into position to register the vote he desires to cast and is allowed perfect freedom so long as he is in the booth to change his vote in any way that he may desire, and by means of which, when he has finally adjusted the machine to indicate the vote he desires to cast, the election officer can return the apparatus of the machine to an initial position, and by that act cause the vote to which the machine has'been adjusted, to be permanently registered by the machine; and in which the registering devices cannot be tampered with to change the vote until said registering devices have been unlocked in the required manner.

This voting machine, broadly considered, comprises a plurality of independently movable registering devices, means for actuating the registers, means for positioning the actuators and the devices relatively to each other, actuating means, and further means for changing the relative positions of the registering device and actuating means; whereby, when the one part is in a determined position, the movement of the other part will not cause any registering by the registering device, and when said one part is in another position, the movement of the other part will cause the registering device to register. By this application of means, the voter is able to move the parts which indicate to him the vote he is casting and can do this freely and indiscriminately until he is satisfied with the vote indicated; then, by a separate operation, preferably performed by the election ofiicer, the machine will be adjusted so that a further movement of the parts which the voter has adjusted to inclicate his vote will result in irrevocably registering his vote. Then such further movement is to be made and the vote will then be registered.

This invention may be carried out in nu- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May *7, 1912.

Serial No. 65,330.

merous ways, and it is not necessary to illustrate all of said ways.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the means which I at present deem preferable for carrying out my invention.

Figure I is a plan of a votingmachine embodying my invention; parts of the case being broken away to expose the interior mechanism. Dotted lines indicate different positions of the register-operating carriage. Fig. II is a side elevation of the machine; parts of the case being broken away to expose the interior mechanism. Fig. III is a sectional elevation looking right from line III-III, Figs. I and II. Fig. IV is an enlarged plan of the vote-registering carriage. Dotted lines indicate different positions of the register-returning lever. Fig. V is a fragmental detail of said carriage. A fragment of the lever-operating member 17 is also shown. Fig. VI is a view of the end of the machine to which the voter has access within the booth (not shown) for the purpose of adjusting the machine into position to indicate the vote which he wishes to cast. Parts of the case are broken away to expose the party-voting mechanism and the means for preventing the voter from easting votes for more than the number of candidates for which he can lawfully vote for any particular oflice. It is to be understood that the machine may be provided with a greater or less number of vote-indicatingand-registering devices to meet the requirements. Fig. VII is a plan of the registering device for registering a vote for a candidate whose name does not appear on the regular ticket. This appliance will be dispensed wit-h in cases where the laws do not provide for votes to be cast for candidates not regularly nominated. Fig. VIII is a detail of the mechanism of one of the regular registering devices and the pivoted member or lever which carries it. Portions are broken away to contract the View. Fig. IX is a broken perspective detail view of the means for locking the registering mechanism.

1 indicates a registering device. The registering device may consist of any form of a counter which is capable of being intermittently operated for the purpose of ragistering the number of times it is actuated.

2 indicates in a general way means for actuating the registering device. The means for actuating the registering device may be any suitable means for such purpose. In the drawings such means comprise a memher which moves to and fro across the machine. Said registering device and said actuating means are both movable, and any suitable means may be provided for relatively positioning said registering device and actuating means. The means shown in the drawings for this purpose comprise a lever or register carrier 3 to vibrate within definite limits for positioning the registering device and a lever 4c for positioning the actuating means. A plurality of independent levers 3 are provided and they are respectively furnished with registering de vices, the respective registering devices being thus carried by independently movable supporting means.

5 indicates a movable member constituting further means for changing the relative positions of the registering device and actuating means.

6 indicates a case which contains a suitable number of the registering mechanisms. The registering mechanisms respectively preferably consist of three counters 7 8, 9, one of which, 7, is provided with ten teeth 10, to be engaged by the actuating member 2.

The registering devices 1 are preferably mounted on the levers 3, respectively, and are operated by handles 11 with which they are respectively furnished, and which project through slots 12, respectively, in one end of the case 6, these levers constituting means for selectively controlling the cooperative relation of the respective registering devices with the actuating means.

13 indicates an upright shaft upon which the levers 3 are pivoted. In actual practice there will be as many of the levers 3 pivoted upon the shaft 13 as there are candidates nominated.

14 indicates a carriage upon which the register-operating means 2 and the registerpositioning means or member 5 are mounted. The member 5 is mounted on and practically forms one arm of a bent lever 15 which is normally held by springs 16 in position to engage a lever-actuating track or member 17 which is arranged to hold the lever in position with the member 5 in position to engage the registering device to return it to initial position when the carriage 14 is moved for that purpose; and to hold the member 5 out of the registering-device engaging position while the carriage is being moved into position preparatory to returning the registering device to initial. position.

18 indicates Ways for the carriage 14.

The lever 1 is arranged to move the carriage to and fro along said ways.

19 indicates a handle on the lever 1 pro jecting outside the case 6 to be operated by the election ofiicer to appropriately move the carriage.

20 indicates plates carried by the registering-device levers 3, respectively, to receive and expose the names of the respective candidates to be voted for. These plates are exposed through the slots 12 in the front of the case.

In the machine shown in the drawings, the registering mechanisms normally stand at that side of the machine from which handle 19 projects.

In registering a vote with the apparatus just described, the election officer will first throw the handle 19 to the right in Fig. I, thus moving the carriage 14 toward the side of the machine from which the handle 19 projects and at which side the registering devices normally stand. In this movement of the carriage, the bent lever 15 will be thrown by and will ride upon the track 17, thus bringing the member 5 of the lever into position shown in dotted lines in Fig. I to engage any of the registering devices which may be out of the initial or normal position, and to return such devices to the said initial position. The handle 19 will then stand in the dot-ted position farthest to the right in Fig. I, and the carriage in the dotted position at the lower side of said Fig. I. The machine is then ready for. the manipulations of the voter. The voter will be given access to the handles 11 of themachine; secrecy being maintained by inclosing in a booth (not shown) the end of the machine where the handles are exposed. The voter will then move the handles 11 pertaining respectively to the plates which carry the names of the candidates for whom he desires to vote, and will thereby swing the registering devices from their normal or initial position toward the farther side of the case in Fig. I, and will thus bring the name-carrying plates 20 of the desired candidate to the left in Fig. VI. The registering devices can be moved indiscriminately until the voter has adjusted them satisfactorily to himself; then he will leave the booth; and the election ofiicer, at the appropriate time, will move the handle 19 into the position shown in solid lines in Fig. I. At this movement, the bent lever 15 will engage the lever-operating member 17, thus moving the member 5 toward the body of the carriage 14 so that said member or finger 5 will not, in its passage across the machine, engage any of the registering devices; but the register-actuating member 2 will engage the projecting tooth 10 of any of the registering devices which may be in voting position. That is to say, said member 2 will engage any tooth 10 which may project from any registering device which is in the rear or upper posit-ion shown in Fig. I, which position may be termed the voting position. As the member 2 passes the registering devices which are in the voting position, it operates upon the projecting tooth 10 of every registering device which is in the voting position and thereby causes such registering device to count one. The complete movement of the lever 19 to the left brings the carriage into the position shown in solid lines in Fig. I and allows the lever 15 to escape from the track 17. The election oflicer will then return the handle 19 to the lower dotted position in Fig. I, thus returning the carriage toward the side where the registering devices should normally stand. The lever 15 engages the track and throws the member 5 into position to return to normal position all of the registering devices which were thrown into voting position by the voter. The machine is then ready for the manipulations of another voter.

In order to prevent the voter from voting for more than the number of candidates for which he is entitled to vote, a flexible connection 21 formed in running loops is provided to form a connection between the movable registering devices which pertain to any particular office; and said connection runs over stationary members 22 and 24 with which the case and registering devices are respectively provided, and said connection is fastened at its ends, as indicated at 23, to permit of the movement for voting of only so many of the registering devices as are required to fill the quota for the particular office in question. Said members 2e are preferably respectively connected with and carried by the members which carry the registering devices respectively.

One or more of the ends 23 of the flexible connection 21 will preferably be adapted to be fastened at different points by tying, or by other means, to lengthen and shorten the slack portion of the flexible connection, thus to increase or decrease the number of registering devices controlled by said flexible connection, which can be thrown into the voting position at any one time.

A indicates hinges and 25 a suitable lock for the cover 26 of the ballot-box case 6.

' It is to be understood that excepting when the polls are closed for the counting of the votes, the cover 26 will be locked closed, and the key, not shown, kept in the possession of the appropriate officer. After the vote has been cast and the polls closed, the ballotbox case 6 is to be unlocked to expose the several registering devices; and the votes indicated by the respective registering devices are to be entered upon the election rec- 0rd and appropriately certified to. In order to prevent any tampering with the registers during the time the ballot-box or case 6 is thus required to be open, the several registering devices are provided with independent register counter-locking devices to lock the registering mechanisms of the respective registering devices; and means are provided for simultaneously operating all of said counter-locking devices to lock their respective registering devices while the ballot-box case 6 is still closed, so that before the registering devices are open to the inspection of the election oflicer, they will have all been locked against further operation.

27 indicates a spring-controlled pawl or catch for controlling and locking the teeth 10 of the counter 7 of the registering device. The teeth 10 are in the form of ratchet teeth to spring the pawl outward to allow the counters to turn while the pawl is is in its unlocked position.

Means are provided for automatically holding the counter-locking means 27 for the registering devices respectively in locked position; the spring-operated tooth or catch 28 on the pawl 27 constitutes a desirable form of such means and is constructed and arranged to engage the wall 29 of the case of the registering mechanism whenever the V awl 27 is forced into locking position. Preferably the pawl 27 is formed of a spring wire which is bent at its extremity to form the retaining catch 28.

30 indicates notches in the counter 7 into which the pawl 27 will project to positively lock the counter 7 whenever the pawl is inpressed.

31 indicates a locking-bar operatively connected with a pivoted lever 32 by suitable means, such as the connecting rods 33. The handle 32 is journaled to the case 6 and after the voting is closed and before the ballot-box is opened for inspecting the registering device, the elect-ion oii'icer will operate the handle 32 to throw the bar 31 to simultaneously depress all the pawls 27 in into locking posi-. tion.

34: indicates stops or arms projecting re spectively from the registering devices to form for said devices, respectively, a holder to hold the locking-bar. Then the handle 32 is operated, the bar 31 will be forced into the spaces between the arms 34: and the cases of the registering devices, respectively; thus holding the registering devices steadily in place while the spring pawls are being forced into locking position. When the locking-bar 31 is fully thrown into its locking position, the pawl 27 which is bent upon itself, as clearly shown in Fig. VIII, will have been forced in until the locking tooth 28 formed by the free end of the bent portion 28 thereof will have entered inside the case of the registering device 1 and will have sprung to engage the inner side of the wall of such case to prevent withdrawal of the pawl from the ratchet wheel until the locking-tooth is retracted for that purpose.

Various ways may be employed for unlocking the registering mechanism and restoring it to operating condition. l/Vith this end in view the wall 29 of the case is hinged at 35, and a lock 36 is provided for holding the hinged wall 29 in position to close the registering case 1. Vhen it is desired to unlock the registering mechanism, the appropriate ofiicer, having a key to fit the lock 36, will unlock the same and open the side wall 29 and thus gain access to the tooth 28, which he can press into position to allow it to repass through the slot 28 in the wall 29 and thereby permit the pawl 27 to resume its normal position. lVhen the clerk has thus released the registering-wheels, he will return the registering mechanisms to zero respectively and the machine will then be ready for another election.

37 indicates party-vote casting levers by means of which the voter can vote a full party vote at once. These levers are connected by flexible connections 38 with the registering mechanisms to which the candidates of the parties respectively are appropriated, so that when the voter wishes to vote a full party ticket, he will. depress which ever of the handles 37 is marked to indicate the party for which he wishes to vote. When he has thus pressed the lever, all of the registering mechanisms pertaining to all the candidates of the party for which he is voting will be thrown into registering position, so that by the operation of the lever 19, all of the registering mechanisms will be operated to register the party vote. In order to allow the voter to change a full party vote for which he has thus adjusted the machine, so as to vote for one or more of the candidates on the ticket of another party or other parties, if any, the lever 37 may be released, thus leaving the registering devices for the chosen party all in position for voting; then the voter will move into voting position the registering device or devices for the candidate or candidates of another party for which he wishes to vote. By reason of the cords 21 which conneet the registering devices for the particular office for which he wishes to change his vote, the moving of the registering device of the chosen candidate for whom the vote is to be changed, will cause the retraction of one of the candidates which have been voted for; and in case there is but one candidate to be elected to said oflice, it is ob vious that the retraction of the voting device caused by this new selection will cause the retraction of the candidate which otherwise would have been voted for. If more than one candidate is to be elected to said oflice, the voter will be careful to see that the name of only that candidate which he does not wish to vote for shall be retracted.

In Fig. VII, 58 indicates a registering device pivoted on the shaft 13 and furnished with a flexible strip 39, preferably of paper, on which can be written the name of any candidate for whom the voter wishes to vote, but whose name is not on any of the nominated tickets. 40 indicates a plain faced plate over which the strip 39 is drawn. A take-up is provided to appropriately take up the strip as the voting is proceeded with. Said take-up consists in a roller 41 furnished with a cog-wheel 42 to be driven by a short rack 43 carried by the carriage 14. 44 indicates a take-up roller onto which the flexible strip 39 will be wound. Said strip is lapped around the roller 41 and is pressed against said. roller by the roller 4.4 which is carried by the shaft 45 and is yieldingly held toward roller 41 by a spring 46 acting on shaft 45. 47 indicates slots in the plate 40 through which the strip 39 passes.

In practice, the voter desiring to vote for a candidate whose name does not appear on any of the name-carrying plates 20, will draw the handle 11 of the lever 58 into voting position, as indicated in Fig. VI, and will thus bring the strip 39 into view. He will then write on the strip the name of the candidate for whom he wishes to vote. Vhen the carriage 14 is moved to actuate the registering mechanism, the rack 43 will operate the take-up wheel 42 to take up the strip sufliciently to draw into the case 6 the name which has just been written, and to expose a blank portion of the paper to be used by a subsequent voter. At the final count, the strip 39 will be unwound from the roller 44 and the ballots thereon regis tered can then be-counted.

59 indicates guides in the case 6 for guiding the register-locking member 31. The connecting-rod 33 is pivoted to the member 31 and the arn 32, so that the operation of the vote-locking lever 32 will slide the mem ber 31 along said guides to force in the register-locking pawl.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent of the United States is 1. The combination of a movable registering device; a carriage furnished with means for actuating said registering devicetmeans for moving the carriage in a path to actuate said registering device; a member pivoted on the carriage to engage said registering device to return the same to initial position when the carriage is moved in one direction; and means to hold said member inoperative at the reverse movement of the carriage.

2. In a voting-machlne, the combination of a registering devlce; a carriage furnished with register-operating means; a member in the form of a lever pivoted on said carriage; yielding means for holding the member in an intermediate position; and a guide between the ends of the path of the lever to hold the member in position to engage a registering device at one movement and to hold said member in position to escape said registering device at the other movement.

3. In a voting-machine, the combination of a plurality of movable registering devices provided with means around which a cord may be bent respectively; means for adjusting said registering devices respectively in registering position; stationary means around which a cord may be bent; flexible connections running around such means on the registering device and around such stationary means alternately, and being of a definite length to limit the number of registering devices which can be moved into the registering position at one time; connecting devices connecting with the registering devices of a series of said registering devices to simultaneously operate them for party voting; and means connected with other series of the registering devices to simultaneously operate them for party voting; the said flexible connection being of a definite length to allow the simultaneous operation of only one of said series of registering devices.

4. In a voting-machine the combination of a plurality of movable registering devices; registering-device-locking means for said registering devices respectively; stops respectively fastened to said registering device; and a locking-bar to enter between said stops and said registering-device-locking means to prevent movement of the registering devices and to move the locking means in looking position.

5. In a voting-machine, a registering device provided with a perforated case, a lock projecting through the case for engaging with the register, means for moving the look into engagement with the register, and a spring-catch on the lock for engaging with the interior of the case and holding the lock in engagement with the register.

6. In a voting-machine, a registering device provided with a perforated case and having a notched counter, a spring pawl through the casing with its free end in position to enter one of said notches, means for moving the end of the pawl into said notch, and a spring catch on the free end of the pawl for engaging with the interior of the casing and holding the pawl in said notch.

7. In a voting machine, a registering device provided with a case, one wall of which is perforated and forms a removable guard, a notched counter in the case, a spring pawl through said perforation with its free end in position to enter one of said notches,

means for operating the pawl, a lock for holding the pawl in its operative position, and a lock for securing the guard in its closed position.

8. In a voting-machine, the combination of a case furnished at one end with slots; levers pivoted in the case and furnished with candidate-indicating means and with means extending through the slots for the operation of said levers respectively; registering mechanisms on said levers respectively; means within the case for actuating the registering mechanisms when the levers are in a determined position; a carriage furnished with means for actuating said registering devices; means for moving the carriage in a path to actuate said registering devices; a member pivoted on the carriage to engage said registering devices to return the same to initial position when the carriage is moved in one direction; and means to hold said member inoperative at the reverse movement of the carriage.

9. In a voting-machine, the combination of a pivoted lever; a toothed wheel on said lever; a carriage furnished with a rack to engage said toothed wheel at one position of the lever and to escape said toothed wheel at another position of the lever; a flexible strip carried by the lever and extending over a plain face of said lever; and a takeup operated by said toothed wheel to take up a portion of said strip whenever the toothed wheel is operated by the rack.

10. In a voting-machine, a case; an independent registering device inside the case and appropriated to a candidate; a counterlocking device carried by said registering device; and means operated from outside the case to throw said locking device into its locking position; said counterlocking devices comprising spring pawls engaging the teeth of the counters, and a locking bar in posit-ion to press the pawls into engagement with the counters.

11. In a voting machine, the combination of a plurality of registering devices; counter-locking catches for said registering devices, respectively; means for forcing said catches inward to lock the registering devices, respectively; and catches to retain said counter-locking catches respectively in their locked position.

12. In avoting-machine, a case; a plurality of independent registering devices movably mounted in said case and provided respectively with a counter-locking device and a catch for retaining said counter-locking device in locked position; stops fastened to the registering devices respectively; a member to enter between the stops and the counter-locking devices, respectively, to move the same into locking position; and means for operating said member.

13. The combination of the registering devices; counter-locking means for said registering devices respectively; means for holding said counter-locking means in locked position; and means for simultaneously moving all of said counterlocking means into locking position; said counterlocking means comprising spring paWls engaging the teeth of the counters, and a locking-bar for holding the pawls rigidly in engagement with the counters so as to hold the counters from operation.

141. The combination of the registering device having an opening in the case thereof; a locking device in said opening and furnished With a spring to form a catch whereby, when the locking device is pressed in, the spring-catch Will enter inside the Wall and catch upon the Wall to prevent the Withdrawal of the locking device.

15. In a voting machine, a plurality of registers, independently movable carriers therefor selectively movable to set the registers into and out of operative position, reciprocating actuating means carrying parts adapted to engage and actuate the registers When the latter are in operative position and also carrying members movable into and out of operative position, means for moving the said members into inoperative position in one direction of move ment of the reciprocating means and for moving the said members into operative posit-ion on the return movement of said reciprocating means, and means arranged in the path of said members in such return movement and connected to the register-operating means to return same to inoperative position.

16. In a voting machine, a register, a reciprocating actuating device, means for causing relative movement of such devices to bring them into and out of cooperative relation, means carried by the actuating device to operate the register in one direction of movement, and means carried by the actuating device to act in the other direction of movement of said actuating device to cause relative movement of the register device and actuating device to bring them out of cooperative relation.

17. In a voting machine, a plurality of registers, an actuating device, selective devices controlling the cooperative relation of said registers and actuating device, and means carried by the actuating device to engage and operate the registers in one direction of movement of the actuating device, and in the other direction of movement of such actuating device to reset the devices to non-cooperative relation.

18. The combination of a case having a door and a key-operated lock therefor, a plurality of registering devices therein contained, counter-locking means for said registering devices respectively, means for holding said counter-locking means in locked.

position, a handle outside of the case and means connected to said handle to simul taneously move all of the counter-locking means to locking position, and means Within the case and accessible after opening the door thereof to release said locking means.

19. In a voting machine, a plurality of registers, an actuating device, selective devices controlling the coeperative relation of said registers and actuating device, means carried by the actuating device to engage and operate the registers in one direction of movement of the actuating device, and in the other direction of movement of said actuating device to reset the devices to noncooperative relation, a case for the mechanism, a door for said case, a key-operated lock therefor, counter-locking means for the register and mechanism, and means Within the case and accessible after opening the door thereof to release said locking means.

20. In a voting machine, a plurality of independently movable supporting means. registering devices respectively carried by said supporting means, a mechanism for actuating the registering devices, said mechanism being provided With a movable member, means for positioning the actuating mechanism and the devices relatively to each other, means for causing the engagement of the movable member of the actuating mechanism With the registering devices When said parts are in one position and avoiding said engagement when the parts are in another position, and means for returning the parts to their normal position; said returning means comprising a track, a lever to engage the track, and a member controlled by the lever.

21. In a voting machine, a plurality of independently-movable carriers and registering devices carried thereby, an actuator for the registering devices provided with a movable member, means for moving said member into and out of its operative position, and means for returning the parts to their normal position; said returning means comprising a track, a lever to engage the track, and a member controlled by the lever.

22. In a voting machine, a plurality of pivoted independently-movable registering devices, an actuator for the registering devices provided With a member movable into position to return the members to their normal position, and means for moving the actuator to operate the register and to move said member into and out of its operative position; said means comprising a carriage mounted to move back and forth, a lever for moving the carriage, a track, a second lever carried by the carriage into and out of engagement With the track, and a member controlled by said second lever.

23. In a voting-machine, a plurality of independently-movable levers, each provided at one end with means for moving it and at the other end with a registering device, a reciprocatory carriage provided with an actuator for the registers and with a movable member, a track, a lever connected to the movable member and in position to engage and disengage the track as the carriage is moved, and a lever for reciprocating the carriage.

24:. In a voting-machine, the combination of a case furnished at one end with slot-s; levers pivoted in the case and furnished with candidate-indieating means and with means extending through the slots for the operation of said levers respectively; registering mechanisms on said levers respectively; and means within the case for actuating the registering mechanisms when the levers are in a determined position; said actuating means comprising a member, a carriage supporting the member, a lever controlling the member, and a track for operating the lever as the carriage is moved. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, California, this 1 1th day of June, 1901.

CLARENCE H. LEE.

Vitnesses JAMES R. TOWNSEND, JULIA TOWNSEND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

